Have you ever attended a conference with the intention of getting your current initiatives on track but instead end up walking around the Expo Floor asking yourself “What will it cost for me to get that cool stuff for my business?” We’re all guilty of it.

As competition heats up in the software analytics space, the question is now less about which tool you purchase and more about the people, scoping and managing projects properly around it. Realizing the full potential of your BI investment is a journey, but it doesn’t have to be a long or painful one. Stop asking “Are We There Yet?” and start putting real milestones in the rear view with a Strategic BI Roadmap.

Four Risks to Driving Without a Roadmap

  1. Building Parallel Roads: Autonomous Initiatives and IT Isolation The danger of IT driving 100% of data initiatives is that the value is not always obvious to the business users, which can result in massive user adoption barriers. Create synergy among the entire organization in relation to projects and initiatives by opening lines of communication between business and IT in a structured and value-based context. Business users must take an active role in the BI planning phase and on the active project team for a BI investment to realize its potential.
  2. Shortcuts to Nowhere: Unsecured and Disjointed Data When business users are forced to work independently of IT, the result is confusion and risk of mismanaged data held locally by individuals. BI applications founded on irrelevant, incomplete, or questionable data are roughly as effective as a GPS with no batteries. Establish a process to identify quality issues for incoming data, and block low-quality data from entering the data warehouse or BI platform.
  3. Infinite Construction: Wasteful Spending and Sunken Costs Departmental BI projects offer a quick return, but their results are often short lived and can hinder the creation of enterprise BI strategies. Transparent resourcing allows for improved planning and forecasting of projects positively impacting budgets company-wide. Acting strategically when making software investments can result in great savings on recurring licenses, employee training and more.
  4. Unexpected Roadblocks: Lack of Supported Business Objectives Organizations often don’t invest in the right people with the right knowledge and experience to know how to fit everything together. This can lead to unforeseeable break lights that can bring your initiative to a screeching halt. Secure buy-in from business leadership by establishing a long-term plan that provides a structured way to govern changes to business priorities. Seek business sponsors who believe in a transparent, fact-based approach to management.

Contact us to get started on your roadmap.